The famed Marché du Film (Cannes Film Market) gets underway this week and runs through May 21.
Among the thousands of independently-produced projects presented at the market, producers and sales agents will show dozens of animated features to global buyers. Either complete screenings or first-look previews will be shown to interested parties.
We’ve picked nine films that stood out to us and which will hopefully be seen soon in the United States:
PAPmusic – Animation for Fashion
Director: Leikiè
Originally released in Italian cinemas in September 2024, PAPmusic – Animation for Fashion is the debut feature of Youtube Leikiè who has been touring her contemporary celebration of Italian fashion around the world. An original cg romantic musical comedy, Leikiè fused together original music and rom-com elements to create this movie which cost four million euros and already has a sequel in the works. The film caused a stir in Italy, though it’s unclear if people are laughing with the film or at the film. PAPmusic is being presented with a market screening.
Into the Mortal World
Director: Ding Zhong
Originally released summer 2024 in China, Winsing Animation reveals the first installment of its intended Winsing’s Eastern Legends series, Into the Mortal World. An award winner for best animated film at the 2024 New Zealand Asia Pacific Film Festival, Winsing is rolling out the film to more markets in 2025. An epic fantasy and the directorial debut of Ding Zhong, Into the Mortal World follows the story of an immortal being who descends to the mortal world to save his mother and the world. There will be a market screening at Cannes this week and the film will screen in competition at Annecy next month.
Twisted
Director: Lino DiSalvo
European animation studio Mediawan Kids & Family will debut first-look footage from its still-in-production cg animated feature, Twisted. Lino DiSalvo, head of animation on Disney’s Frozen and director of Playmobil: The Movie, directs this original story about a teen who lives in an Italian Alpine village and accidentally unleashes a swarm of mischievous magical creatures with each subsequent lie that she tells. Le Pacte is handling French distribution with Sola Media handling international sales. The feature, which also has the involvement of France 3 Cinéma and Paramount+ France, is projected for a Q1 release in 2027.
The Land of Sometimes
Director: Leon Joosen
Two Daughters Entertainment and Nottage Productions continue to assemble an impressive roster of talent for their upcoming animated feature, The Land of Sometimes. Earlier this month, EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony) winner Tim Rice (Jesus Christ Superstar, Evita, The Lion King) was announced as the writer of three songs that will be featured in the winter 2025 release. His talent joins the existing vocal cast of Ewan McGregor, Helena Bonham Carter, Alisha Weir, and Jessica Henwick. Directed by Leon Joosen (Saving Santa), The Land of Sometimes follows the adventures of magical twins Alfie and Elise who are whisked away to a wondrous island by the Wish Collector. International sales are handled by Kaleidoscope Film Distribution, which is showing clips of the film at the market.
The Crystal Planet
Director: Arsen Anton Ostojic
Filmosaurus Rex, BFilm, and Alkay Animation Prague are behind The Crystal Planet, an original, sci-fi adventure written by Oscar-winning animation legend and Zagreb Film founding member winner Dušan Vukotić (Ersatz). This long-dormant script was brought to life by his former student and current live-action director, Arsen Anton Ostojic. The cg film’s animation supervisor is former ILM lead animator Jakub Pistecky (Rango, Avengers: Endgame, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) and features the voice performances of British actors Jeremy Irons, Vanessa Redgrave, and Michael York. Sola Media will present the project, slated for delivery in Q1 2026, to buyers at Cannes.
Saurus City
Director: Nate Smith
Saurus City is a mixed-media animated feature written and directed by Nate Smith, which includes 3d printing, stop-motion, and cg animation. Merging fairy tale and fantasy elements, the original story introduces the Dinovians, a civilization of tiny people who live symbiotically on the backs of dinosaurs. Animated by Suspended Animation Studios (co-founded by Smith, Richard Joel, and Deena Dill), the film also features the vocal performances of Ron Perlman, Emma Roberts, Dennis Quaid, and Tim Meadows. Archstone Entertainment has acquired worldwide rights and will screen the film for international buyers.
Dreamers – The Hunt for Shadowclaw
Director: Unannounced
The German-Canadian co-production, Dreamers – The Hunt for Shadowclaw, is a cg animated feature from producers Andreas Schneider, Ulrich Schwarz, Thomas Baumgarten, and Arno Hazebroek. It centers on three special-needs animals — a German shepherd, an Indian Runner duck, and a brown bear — who come together in New York City to save a circus panther named Shadowclaw. Co-written by Rob Moreland (Gnome Alone) and children’s book author Alison James, and character designed by Heiko Hentschel (The Amazing Maurice), Dreamers is animated by Vancouver-based Kickstart Entertainment (Barney’s World, Deepa & Anoop). Epsilon Film is beginning pre-sales at Cannes and will offer a first-look scene for buyers.
Welcome To Dolly’s House
Director: Tree Muta (aka Liu Yu-shu) and Rady Fu
Welcome To Dolly’s House is Taiwan’s first rotoscope animated feature, created and written by multi-hyphenate artist Seven YCH. Directed by Tree Muta (Shiro — Hero Of Heroes) and Rady Fu (See You Again), the story follows the surreal and nightmarish adventures of a Youtuber named Princess Maria. In production for three years, the finished film is aiming for a theatrical release in 2026. Singapore’s Mokster Films has acquired worldwide rights.
Toxic – Miracle of the Jungle
Director: José Zelada and Cesar Zelada
Based on a screenplay by directors José Zelada and Cesar Zelada, Tunche Films’s Toxic – Miracle of the Jungle is an original cg film about an Amazonian dart frog with a special power that is dangerous to other creatures. An outcast in the Amazon, a terrible threat becomes his moment to shine. Pierre Salazar (The Lego Movie) is the production designer. Munich’s Studio 100 Film is launching the film at Cannes with a projected 2027 completion.
